Mind Games Episode Three: Innocent Until Proven Guilty
by People Person I'm Not
Summary: YOU DO NOT HAVE TO HAVE READ THE OTHERS TO UNDERSTAND THIS! When Sare fits the profile provided by the BAU, her team must work to clear her off all charges. But not everything's smooth sailing... Rated T for violence and language.
1. Chapter 1

**A.N. So here's number three! I know, I know...number two's not done. I'm having some serious writer's block on that, so thought I'd work on this one instead. Like mentioned in the summary, you don't have to have read the others to get this... If you want to, anyway, they're on FictionPress. Same username. Huge shoutout to NazzyWazzy, .Stars, and the Devil's Girlfriend for being my awesome reviewers. Kidney you! :) Sorry for any OOC...  
**

* * *

The group of agents stood on the stage, watching the terrified middle and high school students filter into the auditorium.

The dark-haired man who seemed to be in charge stepped forward, a pretty blonde lady beside him. He let her ahead of him to the podium.

The auditorium hushed. The woman brushed hair out of her face. "Hello, I'm Agent Jennifer Jareau with the FBI's Behavior Analysis Unit. We're here to catch the killer in your town, who we believe goes to your school. We have a preliminary profile prepared. If you know anyone who fits this description, please let us know. Agent Hotchner will give you the profile."

JJ stepped back and let Hotch take the podium. "We are looking for a teenage girl, high school age. She's quiet and aloof, a loner. She may have a small group of friends, and she doesn't join groups looking for more people to be with. She'll be smart, smart enough to leave little evidence at the scene. We think that she's a little OCD, and maybe suffering from other mental disorders. Her work will either be meticulous and perfect, or not done at all. She doesn't do things halfway. She'll be in a set of activities that mean a lot to her. We think she might have music training. She's probably out of town a lot, and won't say either why or where she was. Like Agent Jareau said, if you know anyone, anyone at all, who might fit even part of this description, please let us know. Thank you."

* * *

Hotch and his team stood in the auditorium lobby, watching students return to class, praying for any kind of lead in their case.

A tall girl with long brown hair came up to them. "I know a girl who might fit the, uh, profile you gave."

"Yes?" Hotch said intently. "What's her name?"

"Sare Mitchell," the girl replied. "She's in my next period class."

Hotch looked at the girl, then at his team. "Reid, Morgan, go with her. Bring Sare with you—we'll take her to the station."

Reid and Morgan followed the girl down two hallways, through a set of doors, and down another hallway before they came to the room. It was nearly empty, students not yet willing to return to class. The teacher was present, along with two boys, a group of girls chatting, and a girl with her head on her desk.

The girl that had given the team their lead pointed to the girl with her head down. "That's Sare. She's like hardly ever here, but she's still in honors classes. She refuses to answer any questions about where she goes or, like, the job that takes up all of her time."

Morgan crossed the room to where Sare sat. "Sare Mitchell? Can you come with me, please?"

Sare looked up and groaned. "Is this about what happened in Nevada? Because honestly, Hunter said he'd deal with that. Plus, we just got home three hours ago."

"No, it's not about what happened in Nevada," Morgan said, shooting Reid a look, one that held the statement _What happened in Nevada?_

Sare scooped up her stuff and followed Morgan and Reid out into the hall.

* * *

Through the window the BAU team could see Sare in the police station's interrogation room, sitting calmly. _Too_ calmly, to be honest.

"It's almost like she's comfortable in there," Rossi said. "She's not displaying typical behavior. Even an innocent person would be nervous, but she's not. It's like she knows what's going to happen."

"But how could she?" Prentiss said. "Either she's a murderer, in which case she'd be displaying signs of nerves, knowing she'd be arrested, tried, and imprisoned, or we have an innocent teenage girl who has no idea why she was just brought in."

"I'm going to go talk to her," Hotch said. "Rossi, do you want to come, too?"

* * *

Sare looked up as Hotch and Rossi entered the room. "About time. I want—"

"A lawyer, we know," Rossi cut in.

Sare tipped her head, the picture of innocence. "Actually, I was going to say a phone call. My phone was confiscated when I was brought in, and I need to call Hunter."

Out in the observation room, Morgan looked at Reid. "There's that Hunter again. She mentioned him when she mentioned the Nevada thing."

"Yeah, he was supposed to deal with whatever happened in Nevada," Reid replied. "This whole situation implies that Hunter is someone she knows and trusts, trusts enough to get her out of sticky spots or any trouble."

Hotch handed Sare his phone. She deftly typed in a number, then waited patiently as the phone rang, until whoever was on the other end answered it.

"Hey, Hunter…no, the FBI brought me in…they think I'm a murderer…of course…What?...Collared?...Damn…how about…well, at least that's good…yeah…the PD near my school…yep, that's one…okee-dokee. See you soon…I know, Hunter…'kay. See you."

She handed the phone back to Hotch. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

* * *

Hotch handed his phone to Garcia. "Can you replay the most recent conversation for me, please?"

Garcia gave Hotch a look. "Of course I can. I am your tech goddess, after all."

She hooked Hotch's cell up to her computer and hit a few buttons. Sare's voice floated out of the speakers, along with that of an adult male.

"Hey, Hunter. _Sare? Are you in school? _No, the FBI brought me in. _What? Why? _They think I'm a murderer. _But you're not! _Of course. _Oh, did you hear? _What? _We found Lindsey. _Collared? _Yes. _Damn…how about? _He was still with her. _Well, at least that's good. _True. So do you want us to come and help get you off? _Yeah. _Where are you? _The PD near my school. _Corner of Market and Willow? _Yep, that's one. _We'll be there in half an hour. _Okee-dokee. See you soon. _Sare, we'll get you off. I know you didn't do this. _I know, Hunter. _Like I said, we'll be here in half an hour. All of us. _'Kay. See you."


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N. And now may I present to you Chapter Two! Much thanks to NazzyWazzy for reviewing. All mistakes are my own, sorry for any OOC.**

* * *

Half and hour later the entire BAU team was assembled in the entrance to the police station, awaiting the arrival of the mysterious Hunter and "all of us."

A man dressed very similarly to Hotch entered the station, followed by a pell-mell group of people, consisting of three women—a pretty blonde with hair the same sunny color as JJ's, a petite woman with short brown hair and glasses, and a woman with long blue braids—and two men, one slight with brown-blond hair, and other Mediterranean-looking, with the same kind of bulk as Morgan had.

"Are you the Hunter our suspect called?" Rossi asked.

The blonde woman leaned towards the blue-haired one. "I don't much like hearing Sare called a suspect."

Ignoring the people talking behind him, the man in the suit looked steadily at Hotch. "Yes, I'm Supervisory Special Agent Jonathon Hunter, and this is my team—SSA Erika Labinn, and Special Agents Juliette Monnatt, Matthew Madison, Richard Carter, and Isabella Fox. It's most of my team. Our forensic analyst has the week off, and you have Agent Mitchell in your custody."

"_Agent_ Mitchell?" Morgan cut in. "She can't be more than fourteen, and tiny. She looks weaker than Pretty Boy does."

Reid looked offended.

Morgan continued. "She'd never be able to face down an armed UnSub. She'd get killed right off."

Carter ran a hand over his black hair. "First off, she's fifteen, almost sixteen. She's been here for five years, going on six. And, as her partner, I can tell you she's great at field work."

Hunter scowled. "Enough talk. Can I see Sare, please?"

* * *

Sare had her head down on the table, eyes closed. She groaned and lifted her head when she heard the door open. She caught sight of Hunter, and her face lit up. "Hunter!" she exclaimed, jumping up.

Hunter looked at his youngest agent. "You okay?"

Sare perched on the edge of the table. "Yeah. Bored out of my skull, exhausted, but nothing major."

The door opened, and Isa poked her head in, blonde locks falling from her pigtails. "Sare!" she said enthusiastically, wrapping the younger girl in a hug. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did they treat you okay? Are you hungry? I hope you're hungry, because I brought you food. What exactly are you being accused of? Because whatever it is, I'm sure you didn't do it. We're going to help get you off. I insisted on coming, even though I'm not a field agent, because I didn't want to leave you shut up here. I mean, I know everyone else is here, but I wanted to come see you myself. Carter has your bag, and—"

Sare laughed. "Isa, breathe. Speaking of which, I can't."

Isa let go of Sare, who returned to her perch on the edge of the table.

"Isa, I'm _fine_. You saw me less than four hours ago. They're treating me fine, except for the murder charges. I'm accused of being a serial killer. And of course I'm hungry. When am I not?"

* * *

Garcia watched the interaction between the boisterous blonde and the younger, calmer, girl. "She's like their Reid," she said.

Reid crossed his arms. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Everyone looks out for her. She's practically their baby."

Reid's offended look returned, while Morgan laughed.

Hotch entered the room. "I was talking to SSA Labinn. Agent Mitchell has a perfect alibi. Most of the murders occurred while they were on cases. She even has the case files to back it up. We're going to have to let her go."

"Maybe," Reid said slowly, "because Agent Mitchell so closely fit our profile she—and her team—could help us find the actual killer."

* * *

The two teams sat in the diner, tensions mostly gone away. They were talking among themselves, excepting Sare, who was playing Flow on her phone.

Reid was going on about something, though no one was quite sure how he'd gotten onto the topic in the first place.

"Reid, stop babbling," Morgan said.

Without looking up from her game, Sare cut in. "He's not babbling; well, not really. He's more rambling. And yes, there is a difference. Babbling is disconnected, not making much sense. The individual sentences may make sense, but strung together, not so much. Rambling, on the other hand, is going on and on about one thing in a logical, if occasionally irritating, way. Much like I'm doing now."

"She's like a little mini Reid," JJ muttered to Prentiss.

* * *

Erika picked at her food. Most of her team was getting along nicely with the BAU. Hunter and Hotch were discussing the case, Isa and Reid were swapping statistics, Monny and Garcia were chatting about random things, Carter and Morgan were discussing God-knows-what—knowing Carter, Erika didn't want to know—Matthew was showing JJ and Prentiss pictures of his daughters, Sare was off in her own little world, and Rossi was saying something.

Erika jumped, realizing belatedly that the profiler was talking to her. "Beg pardon?" she asked.

"You're British, aren't you? How'd you end up working over here?"

Erika laughed. "_That_ is a very long story. Has to do with the MI6, the CIA, and a botched operation."

"Now I'm curious," Rossi said. "Surely we have time for you to tell me?"

* * *

Isa and Reid were engrossed in a discussion about statistics, and currently disagreeing. "It's 8.9 percent," Isa said.

"No, I'm sure it's 9.2 percent," argued Reid.

Sare, tired of the pair's bickering, handed her phone to Isa. She had opened a web browser to the Google home page.

Isa typed quickly, then stared at the screen in shock. "I've never been wrong before."

Sare laughed and reclaimed her phone.


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N. Fact: You do not realize how often you use the "a" and "c" keys until you are using a laptop missing those.**

* * *

The two teams returned to the police station, mostly friends, despite the circumstances under which they'd met. Sare was more than a little wary of the BAU, but the rest of her team got on nicely with them.

They went over the known facts of the case, the Mind Games group offering a new take on what the BAU knew.

Sare looked at the pictures of the bodies and tipped her head. "It's disorganized. The victimology is completely scattered. The only constant is the MO."

"Do you even know what victimology and MO mean?" Morgan asked scathingly.

Sare narrowed her eyes but said nothing.

The two teams worked together almost flawlessly. Things went well, except everything Sare said was met with disbelief, driving the girl mad. After one too many slights and insults, she had had enough.

Sare stood up and grabbed her bag. After moving away from the table she pushed her chair in hard. Everyone looked at her. "If you're not going to listen to me, I see no use in being here."

She ran out of the room. Hunter and his team stared after her.

Hunter scowled at Hotch and his team. "Sare's fought hard to be accepted in this field at her age. She used to come into cases hostile and ready to fight for her right to be there. But, at the moment, her walls are down. She's just getting back on her feet after things went wrong three months ago. She's not secure."

Reid looked down at his feet. He knew how Sare felt. Gideon had always introduced him as "Dr. Reid" because he was so young. He was no Sare, but he had been in a very similar situation.

* * *

Sare rushed up Market Street in tears. She couldn't believe that the FBI agents had refused to listen to her, fighting down her every idea. Her team had tried to help, but it hadn't been enough.

There were only two places Sare felt safe—libraries and wherever her team was. One of those places had been torn from her, so she was racing towards her only refuge.

The automatic doors opened as Sare passed through the foyer. Her nearly silent sobs felt overwhelmingly loud in the quiet building. She headed straight for the teen section, and, throwing her bag in a chair, went to find a book.

She grabbed one at random. Curling up around herself she tried to read, but tears blurred the words beyond recognition.

* * *

The BAU team looked quietly at Hunter. They had chosen not to listen to Sare, telling themselves that, as a teenager, she couldn't possibly know what she was talking about. But Hunter's words made them realize how wrong they had been.

"Should we go after her?" JJ asked.

Hunter shook his head. "I'll go in a few minutes. She has a temper, and in this state she's liable to lash out at anybody who comes near her, either verbally or through a barrage of kicks, and she kicks hard. I'm going to give her time to calm down."

"But how will you find her?"

Hunter grinned crookedly. "I know exactly where she'll have gone."

* * *

Hunter and Reid walked through the town. In the end, Hunter had allowed Reid to come with him because of the similarities between the genius and Sare.

When they entered the library, Hunter led Reid through the stacks to the teen section. Sare was curled exactly where Hunter had thought she would be, in the blue chair she loved.

Hunter sat on the ground beside the chair, and Reid stood behind him.

"Sare."

The girl looked up. Her glasses sat, alongside a book, on the table next to the chair. Both her eyes and nose were red with crying. "Hey, Hunter." She caught sight of Reid behind Hunter and tried to rise, but Hunter caught her by the shoulders and pressed her back into the seat.

"Sare, he's been in the same situation as you."

Sare raised her eyebrows. "He's been a teenage girl in a high ranking and highly secretive government job?"

Hunter sighed. "Sare..."

Reid looked at her. "Not exactly, but I was the youngest FBI agent in history. Another agent always introduced me as Dr. Reid because he didn't want people to see me as young, so people would take me seriously."

Sare snorted. "Yeah, but I don't have a doctoral degree to back me up."

"Three doctoral degrees."

"Right. I don't have _three_ doctoral degrees to back me up. I haven't even graduated high school."

Hunter cut Sare off. "Sare, they're willing to give you another chance."

"Are they?" Sare snapped. "Or did they just say that to make you happy?"

"_Sare_."

Sare stood up, threw her bag over her shoulder, and stalked towards the entrance of the library. Hunter and Reid shared a look, then rushed after the girl.

* * *

Sare reentered the room in stony silence. Glaring at the BAU team, she reclaimed the seat she had so violently vacated not long earlier.

Monny looked at Sare, her blue braids swinging. "You okay, sweetheart?"

Sare brushed her hair behind her ear. "As okay as I'm gonna be. I'll be better if I'll actually be listened to. I mean, despite being young, I do know what I'm talking about." Her voice was sharp.

"Sare." Hunter's warning voice came from the doorway, which he and Reid had just reached. "Calm down."

Sare glared at him. She seemed to be literally biting her tongue to avoid replying. Turning quickly, Sare buried herself in her case file, ignoring those around her.

Hunter sighed and sat back down. "What do we know?"

* * *

**NazzyWazzy: Yeah, like I said, couldn't resist doing that to Reid.,**

**The Devil's Girlfriend: Glad it helped. Which Reid jokes, specifically?  
**

**.Stars: I remembered! You're welcome!  
**

**Colleen: I can't type, either...  
**

**Draxus: Yeah, me too...  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Edited version! Still kinda (i.e., really) sucky ending, though. Okay...let's see here. You know, the norm, I guess. NatNazzy, Devil's Girlfriend, .Stars, eyesonwind, and my "anonymous" reviewers, you guys rock!**

* * *

"So, we need to talk to the victims' families," JJ concluded.

"There are three families," Hunter said. "Hotch, I don't know how you want to break up your team, but our team is divided into three two-person groups."

"JJ and I will go to the first family, Prentiss and Rossi to the second, and Reid and Morgan to the third."

"A, B, C," Hunter replied, getting weird looks from the FBI agents. "We have three teams," Hunter explained. "Monny and I are A, Erika and Matthew B, and Carter and Sare C. That's how we always split up."

"So why exactly did you say that?" Morgan asked.

"What I said meant that A will visit the first family, B the second, C the third. It doesn't always go that way."

"Okay, then."

* * *

Hotch drove, Hunter in the seat next to him, and JJ and Monny in the back.

"You seem very protective of the girl," Hotch said to Hunter.

"Sare has a really screwed up home life. Her mother basically ignores her, and her mom's boyfriend hates Sare. She only has people to turn to here, with us. I treat her like a daughter."

"A bit like Gideon with Reid," JJ commented.

Monny tipped her head, braids falling across her chest. "Gideon? Did we meet him?"

JJ shook her head. "He left a while ago."

"Oh."

* * *

Erika and Matthew were looking at case files in the back of the SUV. "Rossi?" Erika asked. "What exactly is the victimology?"

Rossi turned in his seat to look at Erika, almost hitting Prentiss, who was driving. "Girls and boys from schools around here who fit the 'popular' stereotype. The jocks, all that."

"Then Sare would fit the profile perfectly. She hates those kind of people. They torment her constantly. We think it's because she's quiet, answers questions, reads, writes."

"She sounds like Reid," Prentiss commented, and Rossi grinned. "Is she just as bad at the physical side of the job as he is?" she asked.

Matthew shook his head. "Maybe she can't take down an UnSub, but that's why she's partnered with Carter. She's a good shot—hits where she aimed nine out of ten times. She's small and young, but she can keep up with the rest of us. Half the time we forget just how young she is. She's clumsy as all get out, but graceful at the same time—she recovers well. Probably because she's a dancer."

* * *

Sare was curled against the car door, plugged into her iPod and playing a game on her Kindle.

Carter, sitting in front of his young partner, glanced back at her. She seemed calm enough now, but Carter knew better than to risk talking to her.

Unfortunately, Morgan didn't know that as well. "Sare?"

Sare jerked her earbuds out of her ears and glared at the FBI agent. "Yes?"

Morgan would've held his hands up in defense if he hadn't been driving. "Okay, darling. Don't bite my head off."

Sare looked at him, murder in her eyes. "I highly doubt that would work."

Carter was trying, and failing, not to laugh. Sare glared at him, her blue-grey eyes icy. Carter shook his head in surrender. "Go back to your game and music. Don't murder us."

* * *

Hunter stepped out of the car, followed by Monny, who jumped to the ground, braids swinging.

A woman with auburn hair left the house they were parked in front of, followed by a small boy.

Hotch walked around the vehicle. "Mrs. Davison?" The woman nodded. "I'm Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner. This is SSA Jonathon Hunter, and Agents Jareau and Monnatt. We're here to talk to you about your daughter Alyssa."

The woman looked at them. "Come inside. James, go play out back."

The house was quiet and cozy. Pictures of Alyssa covered every available surface. She was a pretty blonde cheerleader who seemed to be happy in every picture.

JJ picked up one of the photos, of Alyssa in cheerleading uniform with a football player. "Did Alyssa have a boyfriend?"

Mrs. Davison nodded. "Yes. His name's Mason, and he plays football. The cheerleader would paint one of the players' number on their cheeks. Alyssa's was always 32."

Monny tipped her head. "Pardon?"

Mrs. Davison stared at her. "It's really quite straightforward."

"I was homeschooled," Monny explained. "I'd never been to a football game until last year."

"Did Alyssa have any enemies, anyone she mentioned she didn't like?" Hotch asked, getting the group back on topic.

Mrs. Davison shook her head. "Alyssa seemed to get along with everyone she met."

* * *

Erika, Matthew, Prentiss, and Rossi climbed out of the SUV, and were greeted by a yapping dog. The dog was followed by a couple who didn't look overly happy to see the agents there.

"Get off my property," the man growled.

Prentiss showed her badge. "We're with the FBI," she said. "We need to talk to you about your son."

"My son is dead and buried," the man snapped. "Let him stay there."

"We're sorry to intrude, sir," Erika said quietly, and led the way back to the car.

* * *

Hotch's phone rang. He snapped it open. "Hotchner." He frowned. "There are always those. Not a big deal. We'll talk at the station." He turned back to the other agents. "The second family refused to talk."

* * *

When they pulled into the driveway Carter turned to Sare. "Listen." Sare pulled put her earbuds and set her jaw. Carter gave her a warning look. "Behave yourself. We want these people to talk to us, not be alienated by us. I know you're pissed, but please either be nice or shut up."

Sare gave a half-grin. "I can do that."

The four agents walked up to the front porch, and Carter rang the bell. The door was opened by a man in a suit. "Who are you?" he asked.

The group held up their badges. The man nodded and swept his eyes across the group. His gaze lingered longest on Sare. "You're the same age as Brittany," he murmured.

"Brittany's why we're here," Sare said gently. "May we come in?"

The man led the group into the living room. "Brittany was my only child. My wife died—cancer—when Brit was three. I doted on her. She was a good girl. One of the popular kids, sure, but she didn't get into trouble. I'm pretty sure she drank some at parties, but don't all teens?"

"Not all," Sare murmured.

"Seventy percent of teens reported trying alcohol at least once," Reid added.

* * *

Having got everything they could use, the teams headed back to the station to talk things over.


End file.
